May 23, 2016 
Georgia Professional Standards Commission Meeting
May 2016
The following topics were discussed during the Georgia Professional Standards Commission's ("GaPSC") monthly meeting in May of 2016.
Ethics Division

The GaPSC issued a suspension of 20 days to an educator accused of leaving a group of students unsupervised during a field trip.

No probable cause was found to sanction the certificate of an educator who pled to misdemeanor battery. The educator was accused of beating a man with a curtain rod. In mitigation, the educator allegedly caught the man having sex with his wife and had strong community support.

The Commission issued a one-year suspension to an educator-coach who allegedly head-butted a student-player during a game. The educator-coach admitted he had head-butted others in the past.

The GaPSC agreed that there was no probable cause to sanction the certificate of an educator who was accused of having a sexual relationship with a subordinate. Upon further review, there was no evidence of a sexual relationship or that the educator supervised the subordinate during the time of the alleged relationship. Typically, it is considered a violation of Standard 10 [Professional Conduct] of the Code of Ethics for Educators for an educator to be involved in a sexual relationship with an employee whom he or she supervises.

In another matter, an educator was accused of giving students extra credit points if they brought in school supplies for the class to use. The school allegedly had little-to-no school supplies for students. The case was before the GaPSC because, under Standard 4 [Honesty] of the Code of Ethics for Educators, an educator is prohibited from giving academic credit for activities that are not academic in nature. Evidence was submitted by the educator's attorney that showed that administration encouraged the practice, and many teachers participated and gave students academic credit for bringing school supplies. Since it appeared that the activity was encouraged by administration, many teachers participated and (to date) this was the only case from this school before it, the Commission found no probable cause to sanction the educator's certificate.
Certification and Educator Preparation Divisions
Beginning July 1, 2017, Professional Learning Units (PLUs) will no longer be required to renew professional teaching certificates. Written Professional Learning Plans (PLPs) or Professional Learning Goals (PLGs), developed locally, will be required for all certificate holders employed by a Georgia local unit of administration (LUA). PLPs outline requirements for the professional growth of educators, and will clearly delineate support the school or school system will provide for the educator's professional growth. PLGs will outline identified areas for educator growth for those educators not required to have PLPs.

What if an educator is not currently working in a in a Georgia LUA but wishes to renew his or her certification? Educators who no longer work for a Georgia LUA must satisfy one of the following requirements:
  • Six (6) semester hours of college course work;
  • Ten (10) Continuing Education Units (CEUs);
  • Hold a valid National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certification at the time of renewal in a field comparable to one held on their Georgia educator certificate; or,
  • Retake and pass at the Professional level the content assessment approved by the GaPSC at the time of renewal for the field(s) being renewed.
You may find more information about renewal requirements here.

As of January 15, 2016, Georgia Educational Leadership certification now has a tiered structure consisting of Standard Professional Tier I, Standard Professional Tier II and Performance-Based Professional Tier II. This replaced the Educational Leadership 704, Building Level 706 and System Level 707 fields previously issued, while adding an additional Leadership field (Tier I) for those who wish to hold a leadership position that does not supervise other leaders (e.g., assistant principal at the building level, or curriculum director at the system level). The most significant change in this rule is that an educator needs only a master's degree to receive a Tier I leadership certificate and it is also a "self-selection certificate," which means that the educator decides if he or she wishes to enroll in graduate school to get a degree for Tier I Educational Leadership. It is no longer required that a LUA recommend an educator for a Tier I program. Reciprocity remains in effect for out-of-state Educational Leadership certificate holders, with Tier I now available to those who would not have qualified for Leadership under the previous rule.

You may find more information about the educational leadership rule here.

An educator who receives an overall rating of "Ineffective" or "Needs Development" on his or her Summative Assessment may remediate that evaluation by scoring an overall rating of "Proficient" or better on the following year's Summative Assessment. Once the HR director determines that all previous deficiencies have been remediated, he or she should notify the GaPSC of the remediation date(s) for the educator in a timely manner. Once this process is completed, the renewal process may proceed (which should also be completed by the HR Director via the electronic renewal submission method).

The Commission granted Developmental Approval of the Tier 1 Educational Leadership educator preparation programs at Berry College, Clark Atlanta University, Georgia College and State University, Georgia Southern University and the University of North Georgia.

The Commission also granted Developmental Approval to Liberty University as an educator preparation provider, as well as its Tier 1 Educational Leadership educator program.

The GaPSC granted Continuing Approval to the Georgia Charter School Association and West Georgia RESA as educator preparation providers and their Georgia TAPP (Initial; Certification-only) programs.
Leonard Williams
Staff Attorney
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